Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-23
HET::
a ROMANCE OF THR BrysH1

Twas on some government duty last year In New
South Wales that took me into the local post
Offices In the back parlor at the Gundaroo post
Office had a long chat with the son of the post
mistress, nne young fellow, perhaps little over
thirty He was manager 70 a local sheep king.
and rejoiced In the curious Christian name OF Het
The Following Is his account OF the circumstances
that leo TO his being so named:
was there certainly, but don't remember
much about It. was told. can vouch for the
truth OF IL, for she and him too, often and often
have told IL TO me and Others. They've told It
apart, each By their two selves and they often
tell It together-she telling about him, making
MIN out To have been the hero, and he telling it
All so that she was the hero-heroine should
say. But expect each OF 'en always told it in
about the same words. You see, 1t was an epoch
Ike, and sort OF fixed itself In their memories
and what happened after fixed IL frmer yet
I've been manager on this station up behind here
eight years, and was "boy" here {pointing with
his pipestem TO the floor, eight years; at school
mere IN Gundaroo till was fourteen so suppose it
must have been thirty-four years ago-near
enough.
The colony wasn't settled near so much as it IS
now. The coach from sydney didn't reach Gunda-
TOO not by three days Tide. and the mails was car
lied on horseback once week the rest OF the way
After the cOaCh-road for a bft-say twenty miles
the track was good enough, and there were STA
tons farther than that; but by the end of the
first days ride you reached the last house or hut
you were TO see TIL you sighted Gundaroo.
The first night the mail-carrier put I'D at
"Paddy'S Shlnty," sort OF an inn on the track
The nex1 morning he started-aIl alone mind you
with valuable mdl-baSS-across as nasty piece
of bush as you'll ind in Australia, and / suppose
that says in the world. 1t was all ti-tree Scrub.
IL you know what that Is you'll understand
Never seen any? Oh, well its scrub, that is ali
little trees, with heir leaves all on the top An
or EN- alike Just TOO slender and weak to bear a
ND fQr
apart for you 10 swarm up two at once, arms and
legs, You know and yet too close for you 70 see
the crueest OF all II you know your way, well
and good; but II you once get wrong, Lord help
youi You're pushed, as sure as you're alive. I'm
less you chance on track or come across camp,
you may lie down and give it up. As long as your
may give yourself day or two TO die In; perhaps
another two days, II you're tough sort. Your
bones II be there years after. Well, that's what
he had TO ride through for hours and hours and
hours the second day; and at night he ought to
be about through IL, if he KEEP the track and made
out 10 reach the open again. Then the track was
across a fern gully, with creek at the bottom;
and there he camped for the night. Then he had
eighty mile ride the next day straight through
the Blue-CuIn forest into Gundaroo
The cnap that rote with the mails then was
splendid fellow. standard his Name was. Too
heavy prapS Tor pootInan, as we understand em,
but just the man for that work in those days.
IL wanted a fellow full OF pluck, as strong as a
horse. and with ell his wits about him. Besides
the dangers OF the track, and creeks to ford and
the heat and the snakes at night there was the
loneliness IbdL one fellow, all alone in that
great wild district riding through the hours in the
perfect stiffness under the sky. No chance OF
Ing sou. and probably not wanting TO neither as
thlnEs was then II any one did just happen to
come across the maii-carrerS in those days. 1t
wasn't generally for good
He uSe'i TO say: when a mans got her ma jeStyS
precious mail-bagS, with her own red seals on EN-
In mont Of the saddle, and only the usual number
OF hands for pistols and reins and all he don't care
much II he don't see one all the ride through"
He waSn't one TO boast wasn't standard; but he
had once To defend The mails with three TO one
MAJ r1Crar. 4O0r 10
the way he done IT, and acquitted and carried out
OF the court on the chaps shoulders They tell
that tale still here in GundarOO.
The time I'm telling you OF was in the hot sea-
son The ground was all cracked and dry. There
months, and lots OF the creeks was empty. AT
GundaroO IL had been very bad, and the district
round was terr1biy in want Of water.
ON the Saturday after New Years Day, when
Standard left "Paddy'S Shanty," 1t was hot
wind, awful 70 ride in They thought rain was
The boss at the shanty told standard as he
fixed up his water-barrl behind him in the saddle,
that store-keeper and his wife and child and
his chum had started the day before for a station
where they'd got BERTH They had TO follow the
bush 10 the station at isn't far they've no 90 y
he said, ''but they're new chumS, and the woman
looked BIT delicate, as well as having young
They've only two horses, Them" says standard
looking along the track, ''unless the third morse
new
NO." says the hess, 'the woman rode behind
one OF the men. tura and turn about. fine
''lt's TO hoped the chaps hadn't much else to
carry then, says standard. 81 couldn't carry
another couple OF pOunds-let alone a woman and
babylon Lady without Knocking her up
"weu, you amt got to-" says the boss and
laughs as he watches standard put Lady into a
Steady canter along The track, where the two sets
OF hoOf-Inarks showed in the sand
Lady" was fne black mare. Very swift but
Just thought TOO light for standard and the
bags, some said. lie wouldn't allow it, He said:
''She reaches GundarOo fresh as need be ON
Monday night, and BY the time time She has TO
m n-<|l he yNitf "A
lie only Travelled once a fortnight on her. The
other week he rode roam, bigger brute but not
hall 50 sensible and kind-like Lady" She was
q born lidy-Standard used 10 say. Her mother
was ''DUchesS whereas the roam was the son of
..hi1Inaid." although he was called Emperor"
She could have gone the whole way alone III need
De-, he said; She was so trustworthy.
We'll. he used TO tell IL how he rode through that
Saturday in the ttrce scrub, thinking OF the party
il front, in whose tracks he was galloping IL
was Just near the end OF the scrub, he noticed
where they left of and started on scarcely
visible track 10 the station away 70 the left fifty
mites 81.
He used 10 say he must have ridden a couple of
hours, perhaps when he saw something on the
track Ike u dead person or horse He had his hand
his pistol he trOtted up TO IL, he said think
ing OF the mails, when he saw IL wasn't u horse or
a man. but tall slip OF a young woman, dead or
perhaps only dying, LAID On the ground with her
back propped against tree, and poor little baby
"LOrd OF air. muttered standard as he jumped
of 'Lady's' back and stood over the woman. He
have done her own child The little one he used
10 say, started crying-a kind OF wail-and opened
its eyes in thai sort Of way that you know Ii
hadn't long stopped crying but Just woke up and
began agar where It had left or I've two kids OF
my own now. and know-nOt that they've ever
had 10 lie alongside mother as GOOD as dead, and
try 10 get fed and warmed at breast as cold as
that poor souls. Thank God, no. But for all that
weli-fe,l kids can cry, ana cry pitiful, too; so
know how he meant 10 say this particular kid
cred.
standard hadn't no need to tether LADY to
make her stop alongside. she was such a reason
able beast: but he put her bride over a tree
branch, for all that Certainty is worth deal OF
faith when It's about being lett alone in tt-tree
Scrub without your horse and kit.
Then he laid the little one on It's mothers shawl
and SET 10 work TO bring the mother TO. He'd seen
men exhausted and lald down 10 die from thirst
and fatigue come round; but he wasn't sure he
said il a woman had 10 be done for the same
rlan-he was single chap then But he set to
and got a little water FIRST and then water with
dash OF brandy in il between her blue lips; and
rubbed her forehead and hands well and laid her
So as the blOOd-once the spirit had started IL
again-cOuld How a bit quicker TO her poor BRAIN
A Oushman has 10 be a bit OF doctor. you know.
Then the baby started 10 help by giving a loud
Shrek, and the young woman opened her eyes aud
sighed Ike, and he KEEP on giving her water and
spirit rs she could take IL, TIL she could feel her
ss-lf comfortable lie didn't start talking 10
her them knowing she wanted all her strength TO
come round; but he put the baby back In her arms
and the mother in her prompted her Ike TO take
good long pull at the drink in the billy-SO as the
kid might get some in a while, YOU know
After bit she started TO cry In a low sort OF
way and then Standard. he set by her, and cheered
her up and told her not 20 take on. He told her